1,353 Hours of Service from Local Youth Group

By Emily Templin

Youth Service Learning, a local volunteer group under 4H, celebrates their accomplishments at their first annual Appreciation Banquet. Some of their notable accomplishments were the grand 1,353 hours of service over the year. The group also collected 948 pounds of food for the local food bank, a large increase from the 200 pounds they collected the year before. 

The event was held at the Heritage Center on February 21st. Food was served and there were many fun activities including a photo booth, trivia, and a spaghetti tower competition. The volunteers were recognized for their excellence. The youth received prizes and certificates for their service, which was anywhere from two hours to over 200. 

Tristyn Montgomery was specifically recognized for over 200 hours of service throughout the year. Conner Criswell and Elorah Dobrisnki were recognized for serving 100-200 hours. 24 youth volunteers received certificates and 7 adult volunteers, who assist in supervising service projects, were recognized. 

YSL is a group for youth and is run by youth, and this event was no exception. Four youth volunteers emceed the event and made sure everything ran smoothly: Elorah Dobrinski, McKinlee Mitchell, Emily Templin, and Tristyn Montgomery. These four are members of the Youth Advisory Board. YAB dedicates its time to fundraising, recruiting, organizing service projects, and so much more. 

Volunteering is a great asset when applying for college and it also helps to create well-rounded individuals. Any youth looking to join YSL are welcome to do so any time. The service projects range from assisting at the local animal shelter to hosting activities at Stonehenge. To join the group, reach out to Sarah Dobrinski, the YSL Coordinator, at sarah.dobrinski@usu.edu.